


The Story of Us

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Crazy Love [24]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-21
Packaged: 2017-12-06 01:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/730173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“There are two major couples in this story; Emily and Jason and you and me.  If you had to place a bet would you pick us?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story of Us

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the Thicker than Water universe where the BAU are kids and teens.

“It seems improbable that we’ll spend the rest of our lives together you know. I mean, who even does that?”

“Huh?”

“Like 1% of the population marries their high school sweetheart, and that’s probably an overestimation. If you actually happen to make it down the aisle you still only have a 50-50 chance of surviving. What the hell is that? C'mon, that is totally depressing to think about. I hate thinking about it but find myself always thinking about it.”

“I don’t think I've ever heard you ramble before.” Hotch was half-confused and half-concerned. Megan rambling was really cute but the subject wasn’t much to smile about. Such was the yin yang of Megan Kane.

“Huh?”

Megan looked up at him. They were sitting side by side on the front steps. Her arms were wrapped around one of his; her head on his shoulder. It was a humid late August evening. Storms were coming…Megan could feel and smell them in the air. She desperately hoped they'd break the humidity in the DC Corridor. She loved summer but this one had been brutal.

“You were rambling.”

“No I wasn’t.” she put her head back on his shoulder. “I was making perfect sense. I was to me anyway.”

“50% of marriages end in divorce.” Hotch said.

“Yes; and no one really marries their high school sweetheart. That only happens in those horrible Lifetime movies where you then watch their lives fall apart when the vixen shows up. We declare our undying love for each other, say there will never be another, and blah blah blah. Did you know that the average girl has three boyfriends between the ages of 13 and 19? That’s a lot of love to declare.”

“You're only my second girlfriend.” 

“You're not a girl, Aaron.”

“Well what about the average boy?” he asked.

“He can't keep his cock in his pants at any age.” Megan replied.

“I feel weird in my belly because I'm both turned on and turned off when you say that word.”

“You are weird… it’s why I love you madly.”

“But it doesn’t matter how much you love me because the odds of us staying together are slim.”

“Do you really believe that?” Megan looked at him again.

“I'm just repeating what you were saying.”

“It’s ridiculous to think we’ll beat the odds.” She went on. “There are two major couples in this story; Emily and Jason and you and me. If you had to place a bet would you pick us?”

“What story?” Hotch asked.

“I'm talking about the stories of our lives.”

“Well the best part about writing a story is that you get to choose the beginning, middle, and end. You can edit and rewrite as needed.”

“In the beginning our eyes met over notes in English class.” Megan smiled.

“And they all lived happily ever after; the end. It’s the middle when things get tricky. I worry about the future too.” he gently slid his arm out of hers and put it around her shoulder.

“I just…I’d rather cut my wrists then ever end up like my mother.”

“Please don’t ever talk about cutting your wrists.”

“OK.”

“No Megs, I mean it. If you ever hurt yourself that way…”

“I wouldn’t.” she shook her head but didn’t know if it was true or not.

“I know you’ve cut before and I worry that…” Hotch sighed, unable to finish the sentence. It wasn’t Megan’s middle that he was worried about; it was her end. Sometimes he feared that this time, right here on the porch, was her middle.

“Yeah. I'm a mess you know.”

“You’ve got me no matter what.” Hotch held her tighter.

“You're kind of a mess too.” Megan said. “You're just a lot better at concealment. I see it though.”

“But you still love me?”

“Yes, I do.” she nodded.

The lightning came first. One strike and then another. Unbeknownst to the other, Megan and Hotch counted and got to five before the thunder followed. When the rain started it was just little drops. There was one drop, then another drop, and then another. 

For about a minute it just dotted the cement sidewalks before the drizzle turned into a downpour. That lasted for about five minutes before slowing to a steady but bearable pace. The couple didn’t move from their spot on the steps. They weren't getting wet. It was nice to watch and Hotch loved the smell in the air. He was sure that the smell of rain would always remind him of Megan.

“I want to stick around just to see what happens.”

“That’s good news.” Hotch kissed her forehead.

“I mean it. We could end up like that Reba McEntire song you know? We run into each other years from now on some street somewhere and one of us realizes that we’re still in love while the other has moved on entirely.”

“Do you ever have any happy thoughts?” he asked.

The question made Megan laugh. Despite its seriousness, her response was melodic and effortless. Hotch wished she laughed more. It was one of the most amazing sounds he knew.

“I'm a realist, Aaron Hotchner.”

“A realist?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Sometimes things are really good though.” Hotch said. “Tell me one of your happiest memories.”

“My 17th birthday.” She replied. “That night we went to Pizza Pete’s and you won Odie for me. We walked home in rain just like this under that umbrella that was almost too small. And later that night we made love. It was perfect. I don’t have a lot of perfect memories…that was perfect for me.”

“It was perfect for me too.”

He tilted her chin up and kissed her. He loved Megan. Hotch loved her with everything he knew how to give. He couldn’t even say how his love for her grew so strong. It happened to him without even being aware. 

Lots of things happened that way in his life. Usually when he didn’t have control, the story didn’t have a happy ending. Hotch wasn’t sure how their story could go. Love could be both happy and sad. Love could be devastating.

“I love you.”

“We’re happy, aren’t we?” Megan asked.

“Yes. We don’t have to be anyone else’s version of that, Megan, just ours.”

“I love you too, Aaron. I also love rainy nights.” she snuggled closer to him.

“I know you do.”

Megan sighed as she relaxed her body on his. It wasn’t a happy sigh or a sad one, it was just a sigh. She didn’t want to lose Aaron. She’d lost everything in some disaster or other. How could she stop that from becoming their fate? 

How could she get herself back to the place where it didn’t matter? It was foolish to place your happiness in the hands of one person. Just because Aaron Hotchner was the first person that Megan ever felt loved her didn’t mean that he’d be the last. Right?

“Now I can't get my mind to stop racing.”

“I have something that'll help.” Hotch said.

“Oh yay.” Megan clapped.

“I wasn’t talking about that.”

“So we’re not going to have mind blowing sex?” she asked.

“I'm sure we are but I was thinking about some Depeche Mode and cuddling.”

“You are so damn cute.” Megan kissed him. “You always know just what to say to make it better.”

“I'm just giving you back all the care that you give me.”

“And a little Depeche Mode?”

“And a little Depeche Mode.” Hotch grinned.

“Hey,” Emily came to stand in the open doorway. “Are you guys alright out here?”

“We’re just fine.” Megan replied.

Hotch looked back, gave his twin a nod, and Emily walked away. Then he went back to looking at the rain with Megan. He planned for this chapter to have a happy ending.

***


End file.
